Hanover weather in May

In May, Hanover sees average daytime highs of 72°F and overnight lows near 54°F, with 3.6 in of rain across 11.7 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 68°F in the first days to 76°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Hanover's 11th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hanover's year-round climate.

Daytime high
72°
5th warmest
Overnight low
54°
8th coldest
Rainfall
3.6 in
11.7 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
4:59 AM – 7:10 PM
Cloud cover
64%
11th clearest
Wind
7 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 68°F in the first days to 76°F by the end.

A typical May day in Hanover reaches about 72°F in the afternoon and slips back to 54°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 60°F and 84°F. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 9°F warmer than April and about 9°F cooler than June.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16849
26850
36850
46850
56951
66951
76951
86951
97052
107052
117052
127053
137153
147153
157153
167154
177254
187255
197355
207355
217356
227456
237456
247457
257557
267557
277558
287658
297658
307659
317759

How May really feels in Hanover

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Hanover weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan39° / 26°3.18.83.99.50.0
Feb42° / 27°2.88.7410.40.4
Mar51° / 34°3.810.42.911.72.5
Apr63° / 45°3.510.30.2135.3
May72° / 54°3.611.7014.26.3
Jun81° / 63°3.411014.86.1
Jul85° / 68°3.711.1014.55.1
Aug83° / 66°3.410.1013.65.9
Sep76° / 59°4.49.2012.36.9
Oct65° / 47°3.58010.96.1
Nov53° / 37°3.07.80.59.83.2
Dec43° / 30°3.48.92.39.20.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24159
34258
44159
54159
64159
74159
84159
94159
104060
114159
124159
134159
144060
154060
164060
174060
184060
194060
204060
214060
224060
234159
244258
254258
264357
274258
284357
294357
304357
314357

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Hanover gets around 3.6 in of rain over 11.7 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 37% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
237
337
437
537
637
737
838
938
1038
1138
1238
1338
1438
1538
1638
1738
1838
1938
2038
2138
2238
2337
2437
2537
2637
2737
2836
2936
3036
3136

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 65% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 5% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1811450
2811450
3801550
4791650
5771760
6761860
7741871
8731971
9731971
10721981
11721981
12701992
13701992
146819103
156818113
166818113
176618124
186418135
196318145
206217156
216017167
225917168
235618179
245518189
2554181810
2653181811
2752181911
2850191912
2949191913
3048201913
3147201914

Wind in May

Winds average 7 mph in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 42 min at the start of May to 14 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:15 AM to 4:48 AM, and sunset from 6:55 PM to 7:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:156:55
213.75:146:56
313.75:136:57
413.85:126:58
513.85:106:59
613.85:097:00
713.95:087:01
813.95:077:02
914.05:067:03
1014.05:057:04
1114.05:047:05
1214.15:027:06
1314.15:017:07
1414.15:007:08
1514.25:007:09
1614.24:597:10
1714.24:587:11
1814.24:577:12
1914.34:567:13
2014.34:557:14
2114.34:547:14
2214.44:537:15
2314.44:537:16
2414.44:527:17
2514.44:517:18
2614.54:517:19
2714.54:507:20
2814.54:497:20
2914.54:497:21
3014.64:487:22
3114.64:487:23

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.68 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.83 kWh/m² to a high of 6.12 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.68 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Hanover?

Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

6.3
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.5
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Hanover for sightseeing.

What to pack for Hanover in May

From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In May, Hanover sees daytime highs around 72°F and nights near 54°F. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Hanover in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Hanover peaks around June 22 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 22UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Hanover in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Hanover is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1317 µg/m³Nov 138 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Hanover?

Hanover sits at 39.8°N, 77.0°W, 600 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Westminster, 16 mi away.

Topography around Hanover

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Hanover.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Hanover has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 259 ft around an average of 610 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,047 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,434 ft.

The land around Hanover is covered by artificial surfaces (37%), grassland (29%) and trees (21%) within 2 miles, trees (39%), cropland (30%) and grassland (27%) within 10 miles, and trees (54%) and cropland (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
259 ft
10 miles
1,047 ft
50 miles
2,434 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Westminster 16 mi · York 17 mi · Reisterstown 24 mi · Eldersburg 27 mi · Hunt Valley 27 mi · Owings Mills 29 mi · Cockeysville 29 mi · Carlisle 30 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Hanover (39.8007°, -76.983°, elevation 600 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).